Sunday, April 12, 2009

Yesterday I drove down to the Mississippi coast (Gulfport/Biloxi) to check on how things are going down there. The worst devastation was at the water's edge, where the Gulf of Mexico crashed onshore, knocked down everything in its path until it got to the railroad tracks nearly a mile inland, and then carried what it had knocked down back out into the Gulf. Which left oak trees and concrete pads. This is what Katrina did to my house 50 miles north of the coast, converting our front porch into an idyllic spot in the woods. Except the woods are BEHIND my house. This is the top of a very tall oak tree that once graced our front yard.

The storm kindly left behind a giant concrete lizard when it wiped out a small waterpark at water's edge in Biloxi. This photo was taken in February 2006, six months after Katrina.

January 2008: Still nothing being done to one of the many destroyed mansions on the beach, although you can sit in this bathtub and have a fine view of the Gulf.

So here we are, April 2009, and it is evident that even if you build your house up on concrete pilings, Mother Nature can still knock you down and whisk you out to sea.

This used to be a restaurant that obviously had been around awhile before Katrina, as evidenced by the retro slate walls and groovy tiled fireplace.

The restaurant even had a spiral staircase.

And there was even a turquoise tub and toilet for the staff! I really wanted to take those home with me but the KEEP OUT!!! signs gave me pause.

The area would certainly be doing much better if people didn't have to battle the insurance companies over the wind/flood issue. And as much as people want to live by the water, perhaps there are some places in this world that weren't meant for permanent habitation. Unless you're a developer and have enough money to erect multi-storied condos that block everyone's view of the water except for those rich enough to afford said condos. Grrrrr . . . It's not hurricane season yet (that starts June 1), but just to keep us in practice, we're supposed to get some REALLY BAD WEATHER today--rain, hail, possible "long-lived" (thank you, Weather Channel, for that one) tornadoes. A tornado in your backyard that lasts only a few seconds is bad enough. Now they're warning us about something even WORSE??!! I need more medication.